Have to Read from a Required Summer Reading List? Download Free eBook Copies

If you're a student looking for summer required reading books, think about reading an eBook. There are plenty of free eBook versions of these summer reading books available and often you can access and download them immediately.

The library-provided Overdrive and EbscoHost services are available and free with your library card.  You can download them to your pc or eBook reader, and the books automatically return themselves so you can read them on vacation and not have to return them to the library.

Project Gutenberg (which contains public domain books) is a good choice for free downloads. PG offers most of its books as free Kindle books, as well as in the ePub format. (You can download free Kindle books directly to your Kindle by pointing your Kindle browser to m.gutenberg.org). It also has a useful guide to downloading books from this site.

Epubbooks offers Kindle and ePub books available as free downloads. iBookNook has these downloads also and currently on the site is a recent post that lists 50 classic books that are available to download.

Amazon has free Kindle books that may be on your reading list, and Barnes and Noble ran a promotion for a while for free “classic” eBooks but this has apparently ended.

Google offers free eBooks although they don't organize the free ones as a browsable group. Many classic books are offered for free.

I've included this link to free eBooks for Nook, and this link to free eBooks for Kindle (includes information on a free way to convert eBook files to Kindle) as additional resources.

If you only find a book in PDF format and have a real desire to read the book in the ePub format (here’s an article on the advantages of reading an eBook in the ePub format) for $23.95 you can download a PDF to ePub converter.

We'll be happy to help you. If you need help finding or downloading free eBooks, contact the library reference department at 412-828-9520 ext. 215 or send an email to coopersiegelref@einetwork.net

Finding Good Homes For Your Electronic Stuff This Spring

The Cooper-Siegel Community Library is looking for donations of e-readers such as Nooks, Kindles, etc..  If you are considering discarding your e-readers, we would love to use them in our classes to train our library patrons how to use these devices. 

If you're getting rid of old cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS units, laptops and handheld gaming devices during spring cleaning, the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium are looking for your help in saving endangered animals.  They are currently holding a recycling drive here at the library, and you can find the collection box at the front of the library.  The Zoo and Aquarium will receive funds from Eco-Cell to help endangered species. 100% of the funds raised will be donated to several different conservation organizations that the Zoo is involved with including: The International Snow Leopard Trust, Painted Dog Conservation and Polar Bears International.

If you donate items for the Zoo and Aquarium drive, you can enter a drawing for free admission.  Ask for raffle entries at the circulation desk at the front of the library.

More about the Barnes & Noble bookfair

The library's fundraiser through Barnes & Noble has been extended to online shopping as well. Go to http://www.bn.com/ between November 26th and December 3rd to shop online. Please enter our bookfair ID which is 10269447 when making your online purchase and we will earn a portion of your sales. Thank you in advance for your support!

It pays (the library) to shop at Barnes & Noble

Be sure to include Barnes & Noble at the Waterworks on your list of places to shop for the holidays on November 26-28. Mention that you support Lauri Ann West Memorial Library when you pay for your purchases, and we will get a portion of your sales. On the 27th, enjoy talks and presentations by local authors Kathleen George, Len Barcousky and Kerry Hannon while you're there.

No Monkeying Around

Members from Fox Chapel Area High School's Future Business Leaders of America spent nearly four hours helping us make sock monkeys for homeless children. Many thanks to them and to Grace Abbs for leading this activity. 



Getting ready to start

Grace shows how to backstitch

           

The finished product

SIRS Discoverer is back!

Thanks to the powers that be at POWER Library, a fabulous resource for kids, parents and teachers is available again. SIRS Discoverer is an online database with access to thousands of resources geared toward children is grades 1-8. You can use SIRS Discoverer for maps, articles, pictures, activities and so much more on virtually any topic you can imagine! Try it out for yourself by clicking here and let us know what you think.

Make the library your homework helper

The end of summer brings back school and homework. Where can you find everything you need to complete those pesky projects? At the library, of course! Our reference librarians are more than happy to help you find just the right resources for your report.
Stop by the reference desk, call us or email us with questions about your assignments anytime the library is open. We look

                           forward to seeing and helping you!